Fastener holding and driving device



Dec. 5, 1961 J. B. VILMERDING 3,011,534

FASTENER HOLDING AND DRIVING DEVICE HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent (3 3,011,534' FASTENER HOLDING AND DRIVING DEVICE John B. Vihnerding, Moorestowu, N.J., assignor to Ingersoll-Rand Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey v Filed Aug. 26, W59, Ser. No. 836,259

Ciairns. (Cl. 144-32) of a machine including a fastener holding arrangement in accordance with the invention, 1

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the fastener holding device taken along the plane 22 of FIG.'1, I

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of a portion of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to FIG. 3 with the machine and the holding device in various operated positions, and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, broken-away showing of cam rod end 58 and followers 46.

Only the driving or tool head portion of the machine is shown comprising the spindle and the spindle holding bracket together with the spindle driving motor and the head motor. Two plates 10 and 12 of the framework are shown as being spaced and mounting an axial drive motor 14. This motor 14, being of a conventionally known type, is in the form of an expansible piston andcylinder arrangement'wherein the cylinder 15 is held between plates 11 and 1.2 of the machine and the movable pistontnot shown) has its rod end 17 connected to a bracket 20 which is connected to a movable tool head 21. The spindle drive motor 16 is of a commonly known rotary type and is mounted on top of the bracket 20 and extends through an opening in the plate 12. The tool head 21 comprises a tubular portion 22 which houses a part of the spindle 18. The spindle 18 extends downwardly from the forward end of the tool head 21 and carries a driver D adapted to engage and rotate a fastener F. A carrier 26, in the form of a sleeve, is slidably received on the tubular portion 22 and is limited in its upward travel by the bracket portion 26, and in its downward travel by a stop 24 at the end of the tubular housing.

' The carrier 26 has a lug 28 which receives the end of a stroke rod 30. The rod 36 extends upwardly through from one another and causes yoke portions 40 and legs 38 to pivot about pivots'36 toward one another. Each of the yoke arms 43 of yoke portions 46 is provided with inwardly directed extensions cooperating with each other to form an adjustable cam follower 46. At the bottom of the legs 38 are flanges forming feet portions 48 turned in toward one another in face to face relationship, each having a profile to form a keyhole slot type opening 50.

A cam rod 52 having three stepped'cam surfaces 54', 56 and 58 at its lower extremity extends upwardly through openings in the bracket 20 and the plates 10 and 12. The lower end of the rod 52 may be continuously tapered in place of having the three progressively reducing surfaces. A collar 62 is spaced upwardly from the bracket 20 and retains one end of a spring 60 which encircles the rod 52 and abuts the top of the bracket at its lower end. The spring 60" tends to urge the cam rod 52 upwardly, the upward movement of the rod beinglimited by a second .collar 64 which abuts the bottom of the plate 10 of the machine structure. With the collar 64 abutting the plate started to rotate the driver D. The motor 14 is energized spaced from the bottom of the bracket 20.

With the tool head in the inoperative position,.as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the motor 14 is ,deenergized with the bracket 26 drawn upwardly to the'plate 12. The spring 34 encircling the stroke rod 30 is-holding the carrier 26 against the stop 24 while the spring 60 hearing against the top of the bracket 26 and the collar 62 urges the cam rod to its uppermost position in which the collar 64 abuts the plate 10 and the collar 66 is spaced from the bottom of the bracket 20 withthe cam follower 4-6 riding on the intermediateqcamsurface 56. When'the cam followers 46 ride on the cam surface 56, the legs 38 are spread slightly from one another sumcient to open the keyhole slot type opening 5%} to, allow the passage of a fastener from the chute 68 through the neck portion of the slot (see FIG. 2).

To drive a fastener into the work, the motor 16- is to move the tool head 21 downwardly. Due to the force of the spring 34 hearing against the bottom of the bracket 20 and the lug 28, the complete device (carrier 26 and legs 38) movesdownwardly with the bracket 20. The cam rod 52, however, due to the force of the spring 60 maintains its original position until the bracket 29 engages the collar 66. When this position is reached, the carrier 26 and legs 38 have moved relative to the cam rod 52 such that the cam followers 46 have now moved to the smallest cam surface 54. Since the cam surface 54 is smaller in diameter than the cam surface 56, the force of the spring 44 urges the legs '38 towards one another openings in the bracket 20 and the plates 16 and 12. A 7

spring 34 encircles the portion of the rod 30 between the bracket 24 and the lug 28 and tends to urge the carrier 26 info abutment with the stop 24. The rod 36 has an adjustable collar 32 near the end remote from the lug 28 to limit the movement of the carrier 26. A pair of legs 38 is positioned forwardly of carrier 26- in face to face relationship with each other and provided with cooperating profilesv to form an/opening therebetween in axial alignment with spindle 18 to permit spindle 1 8 to move longitudinally between legs 33. Each leg 38 extends rearwardly into a yoke portion 40, the latter having opposing arms 41, 43 pivotally connected to carrier 26 by pivot pins or trunnions 36, see FIGS.,13. Each of and closes the opening 519 sufficiently to reduce the neck portion thereof to keep the fastener F from sliding out.

Further movement of the tool head moves the spindle 18, the carrier 26 and legs 38 as well as the cam rod 52 forwardly toward thework until the fastener F initially engages such work. As the fastener engages the work, the fastener stops and with further forward motion of the rotating spindle, the driver D engages the fastener and rotates it (see FIG. 4).

Further driving of the tool head 21 towardsthe work 7 by the motor 14 and rotation of the driver D by the motor 16 causes the fastener F to start. to thread into the Work W, and, move the cam rod, carrier 26 and legs 38 forward towards the work until the collar 32 engages the plate 10 and stops the advancement of the carrier 26 and legs 38 just prior to contact of the work W by the feet portions 48. Continued advancement of the tool head 21 towards the work causes the bracket 20 to move downwith the work W (see FIG.

Further driving by the tool head 21 to completely drive the fastener F into the work W advances the cam rod 52 together'with the bracket 20 and the spindle housing 22 towards the work and causes the largest cam surface 58 to enter between the cam followers 46. Since the surface 58 is larger in diameter than is the surface 56, the legs 38 are moved still further away from one another until the sides of the feet portions 48 are removed from under the fastener head and out of the path of the driver D so the driver can fully drive the fastener F into the work (see FIG. 6).

Raising of the tool head 21 including the bracket 26* causes the cam rod 52 to raise while the spring 34 holds the collar 32 in contact with the plate lltl until the carrier 26 again abuts the stop 24. The cam rod 52 also is carried upwardly due to the force of the spring 66 until the collar 64 abuts the plate 10. At that point, the cam rod stops and the bracket 29, carrier 26 and legs 38 continue to move upwardly until the bracket engages the plate 12. At that point, the cam followers again have moved on to the cam surface 56 opening the slot 5th to permit the entry of another fastener F.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In a fastener driving machine, a tool head movable toward the work having a fastener driver extending from. the forward end of said tool head adapted to drive fasteners, a sleeve longitudinally movably connected to the tool head and having a stop to limit the forward movement of said sleeve, spring means urging said sleeve in the direction of the work, a pair of members pivotally connected to said sleeve and having portions in face to face relationship and so profiled as to form an opening therebetween for the reception of a fastener, a rod connected to the machine having an abutment spaced from the tool head and a cam portion reducing in size in the direction of the work, said cam portion positioned such to engage said pair of members, said pair of members being movable toward the Work with the tool head and relative to said cam portion to pivot such members toward one another to reduce the opening to hold a fastener therein as said tool head moves to contact said abutment, said rod and said pair of members movable towards the work with said tool head such that the said stop contacts said sleeve to limit the movement of said pair of members towards the work, and said cam portion is movable relative to said pair of members to pivot such members away from one another to enlarge the opening to release a fastener as said tool head moves toward the work and relative to said sleeve to drive such fastener.

2. In a fastener driving machine, a tool head movable toward the work having a fastener driver rotatable relative to said tool head and extending from the forward end of said tool head adapted to drive fasteners, a pair of members movably connected to the tool head and having portions in spaced face to face relationship forming an opening for the reception of a fastener, biasing means to constantly urge said portions of said members towards each other, a cam positioned for engaging said members, said members movable in the direction of movement of said tool head and relative to said cam to hold a fastener,

and said cam being movable in the direction of movement of said tool head and movable relative to said members to urge said portions of said members away from each other against the action of said biasing means to release the fastener.

3. In a fastener driving machine, a tool head movable toward the work having a fastener driver rotatable relative to said tool head and extending from the forwardend of said tool head adapted to drive fasteners, a sleeve carried by the tool head and having limited slidable movement relative to said tool head, spring means urging said sleeve in the direction of the work, a pair of members being pivotally connected to said sleeve and having portions in face to face relationship forming an opening therebetween for the reception of a fastener, a cam memher having a cam portion engaging said pair of members and an abutment spaced from and adapted to contact the tool head, and said cam portion and said pair of members adapted to move relative to one another by the movement of the tool head toward the work to control the relative positions of said portions to hold and release a fastener.

4. In a fastener driving machine, a tool head movable toward the work having a fastener driver extending from the forward end of said tool head adapted to drive fasteners, a sleeve connected to the tool head, members pivotally connected to said sleeve and having portions in face to face relationship disposed in the path of movement of the fastener driver forming an opening therebetween for the reception of a fastener, biasing means to constantly urge said portions of said members towards each other, a cam member having a' can portion reduced in size in the direction of the work and positioned to engage said members, and said cam portion being adapted to move toward the work with the tool head to pivot said members away from each other against the action of said biasing means to release the fastener.

5. In a fastener driving machine, a tool head movable toward the work having a fastener driver extending from the forward end of said tool head adapted to drive fasteners, a carrier connected to the tool head, spring means urging said carrier in the direction of the work, a pair of members pivotally connected to said carrier and having portions so profiled as to form an opening therebetween for the reception of a fastener, a cam movable in the direction of movement of said tool head positioned for engaging said members for pivoting the members to .vary the size of the opening, and said members movable in the direction of movement of said tool head and relative References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 434,215 Unbehend Aug. 12, 1890 529,701 Briggs Nov. 27, 1894 1,515,025 Foy Nov. 11, 1924 1,945,741 Gray Feb. 6, 1934 2,373,992 Billinghurst Apr. 17, 1945 2,519,811 Alexander Aug. 22, 1950 2,625,967 Stull Jan. 20, 1953 2,696,855 Seegers Dec. 14, '1954 

